European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Lampedusa on Sunday as the Italian government struggles to cope with a surge in illegal migration.
She will be joined by Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the trip to the island where thousands have arrived in the last few days.
Ms Meloni on Friday promised to take “extraordinary measures” to stop people illegally crossing the Mediterranean in small boats bound for Italy and called on the EU to assist by imposing a naval blockade.
She said, if the 27-member bloc does not implement such a measure, Italy would push forward with its own naval blockade.
In a video posted on social media Ms Meloni said she had written to European Council President Charles Michel asking him to address migration during an EU summit in October.
She said she had also invited Ms von der Leyen to see conditions on Lampedusa.
“I intend to reiterate a request for an immediate EU mission to block the departure of migrant boats,” Ms Meloni said.
Eric Mamer, the Commission’s chief spokesman, announced on Saturday that Ms von der Leyen was heading to the island.
“President Von der Leyen will be travelling to Lampedusa tomorrow on the invitation of Italian PM Meloni,” Mr Mamer said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The interior ministers of France, Germany and Italy and some EU representatives discussed migrant issues during a phone meeting on Saturday, French Minister Gerald Darmanin said on X.
Germany has decided to keep taking in migrants and refugees arriving in Italy, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Friday, two days after it announced the suspension of an agreement with Rome to receive new arrivals.
“Today is a time first of all for solidarity with Italy and also for mobilisation by the European Union to come in support,” French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told BFM TV, adding President Emmanuel Macron would speak to Ms Meloni.
The Italian Prime Minister is under immense pressure from Italian lawmakers and voters to stop people crossing the Mediterranean illegally in small boats bound for Italy.
Nearly 126,000 migrants are reported to have arrived on Italy’s shores since the start of the year – almost double the figure by the same date in 2022.
A newborn baby was found dead on a boat carrying migrants to Lampedusa on Saturday.
The mother is thought to have given birth during the journey from North Africa, the Ansa news agency said, and the death is being investigated.
Photos showed a man carrying a tiny white coffin into the back of a vehicle before it was transported to a local cemetery.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Juventus v Napoli, Sunday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Match on Bein Sports
ZIMBABWE V UAE, ODI SERIES
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
BIRD%20BOX%20BARCELONA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20and%20Alex%20Pastor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGeorgina%20Campbell%2C%20Mario%20Casas%2C%20Diego%20Calva%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
