https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Despite hefty anti-mafia powers, international police cooperation and thousands of arrests, Italy has yet to deal a significant blow to the human-trafficking networks responsible for sending countless migrants across the Mediterranean. https://www.thelocal.it/20190319/in-italy-arrests-aplenty-but-top-people-smugglers-remain-elusive Tue, 19 Mar 2019 16:50:00 +0100 in-italy-arrests-aplenty-but-top-people-smugglers-remain-elusive An Eritrean man who says he was mistakenly arrested on suspicion of heading a major people smuggling network is to stand trial in Sicily, according to Italian media reports. https://www.thelocal.it/20160922/eritrean-people-smuggler-to-stand-trial-in-italy Thu, 22 Sep 2016 10:36:59 +0200 eritrean-people-smuggler-to-stand-trial-in-italy Two men accused of smuggling migrants have been acquitted by a Palermo judge, who ruled the men had had "no other choice" than to steer the boat, after being threatened by armed smugglers. https://www.thelocal.it/20160908/palermo-judge-acquits-involuntary-migrant-smugglers Thu, 08 Sep 2016 13:44:56 +0200 palermo-judge-acquits-involuntary-migrant-smugglers Six human traffickers have been sentenced by a Palermo court in connection with a migrant boat wreck off Lampedusa in October 2013, in which more than 300 people died. https://www.thelocal.it/20160208/six-migrant-smugglers-sentenced-to-jail-italy-first Mon, 08 Feb 2016 16:55:46 +0100 six-migrant-smugglers-sentenced-to-jail-italy-first About 500 migrants each paid up to €15,000 to be smuggled into Italy as “employees” of the circus business, Italian police said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20151110/migrant-acrobats-and-jugglers-smuggled-into-italy Tue, 10 Nov 2015 15:53:49 +0100 migrant-acrobats-and-jugglers-smuggled-into-italy Palermo prosecutors are seeking jail terms of up to 17 years for six alleged migrant smugglers in connection with a shipwreck off Lampedusa in October 2013, in which 366 people died. https://www.thelocal.it/20150918/people-smugglers-face-jail-for-up-to-17-years Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:38:57 +0200 people-smugglers-face-jail-for-up-to-17-years Italian authorities said Friday they had arrested ten suspected people smugglers in connection with the death by asphyxiation of 52 people who had been forced to remain in the hold of a migrant boat on which 52 people asphyxiated. https://www.thelocal.it/20150828/italy-arrests-ten-over-migrant-boat-deaths Fri, 28 Aug 2015 19:21:44 +0200 italy-arrests-ten-over-migrant-boat-deaths Italy has arrested nearly 900 suspected people traffickers since January 2014 but the kingpins remain at large, police data published on Tuesday in Catholic daily Avvenire showed. https://www.thelocal.it/20150811/italy-arrests-almost-900-traffickers-since-jan-2014 Tue, 11 Aug 2015 18:54:00 +0200 italy-arrests-almost-900-traffickers-since-jan-2014 EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Monday appealed for UN backing for Europe's plan to confront the Mediterranean migrant crisis by using military force against smugglers. https://www.thelocal.it/20150512/un-urged-to-back-military-force-against-people-smugglers Tue, 12 May 2015 09:56:50 +0200 un-urged-to-back-military-force-against-people-smugglers Calls have mounted for a military response to the Mediterranean migrant crisis, but experts say such plans are totally unworkable and mark an attempt to militarize what should be a purely humanitarian problem. https://www.thelocal.it/20150423/experts-warn-against-military-response-in-med Thu, 23 Apr 2015 10:42:08 +0200 experts-warn-against-military-response-in-med UPDATED: Italy is studying the possibility of mounting "targeted interventions" against Libya-based people smugglers behind a huge surge in the numbers of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.it/20150420/italy-mulls-targeted-interventions-against-libya-people-smugglers Mon, 20 Apr 2015 17:43:18 +0200 italy-mulls-targeted-interventions-against-libya-people-smugglers Italian police have arrested 24 alleged people smugglers, who are said to be part of an international network that operates across Italy. https://www.thelocal.it/20150420/people-smugglers-earn-up-to-k-each Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:21:09 +0200 people-smugglers-earn-up-to-k-each People traffickers have dramatically raised the stakes by using freighters to carry hundreds of migrants to Europe at a time, then jumping ship as the vessels steam towards shore. https://www.thelocal.it/20150102/why-migrant-smugglers-are-using-ghost-ships Fri, 02 Jan 2015 19:07:00 +0100 why-migrant-smugglers-are-using-ghost-ships People smugglers likely raked in more than $1.0 million from the hundreds of desperate migrants crammed into just one of the "ghost ships" abandoned off the coast of Italy this week, the International Organization for Migration said on Friday. https://www.thelocal.it/20150102/traffickers-raked-in-over-1m-on-single-ghost-ship Fri, 02 Jan 2015 18:33:00 +0100 traffickers-raked-in-over-1m-on-single-ghost-ship Italy's navy said on Thursday it had arrested 16 suspected people smugglers in the Mediterranean thanks to surveillance by a submarine during an operation which saved 300 immigrants. https://www.thelocal.it/20141003/italian-navy-arrests-16-people-smugglers Fri, 03 Oct 2014 10:14:00 +0200 italian-navy-arrests-16-people-smugglers Italy arrested four suspected people smugglers on Thursday from among 1,000 migrants rescued from rickety boats floundering off the coast after a perilous journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa. https://www.thelocal.it/20140321/one-dead-among-migrants-and-smugglers Fri, 21 Mar 2014 10:13:01 +0100 one-dead-among-migrants-and-smugglers Italian police said on Thursday they had arrested the crew of a ship carrying more than 200 refugees believed to be from Syria, boarding and detaining the vessel in international waters in the first operation of its kind. https://www.thelocal.it/20130912/italian-police-arrest-people-smugglers Thu, 12 Sep 2013 16:10:00 +0200 italian-police-arrest-people-smugglers