France-Italy tension at immigration meet

615 migrants saved

LYON, Oct 9, (Agencies): French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe urged far-right Italian leader Matteo Salvini on Monday to drop his “posturing” on immigration and help find a European response to the issue.

Salvini, Italy’s powerful interior minister and deputy premier, has singled out French President Emmanuel Macron for criticism in recent weeks, as well as other EU leaders he considers too soft on immigration.

Philippe promised to be “direct” in his conversation with the 45-yearold Italian, head of the far-right League party, over dinner on Monday night in the French city of Lyon where the two men, along with ministers from Britain, Germany, Spain, Poland and Morocco, met for talks on immigration.

“I rarely use the same words or the same vocabulary (as Salvini) but that doesn’t stop me being direct as well. I hope we’ll have a frank and direct exchange,” Philippe said.

“Beyond the posturing, the issue of immigration cannot be solved with a national response. It requires coordination. It’s a complex issue of common interest.

“I think you have to tackle it with conviction, with respect for national interests, but also with the desire to build a common position that is the only way to find a solution.”

Meanwhile, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has joined European security chiefs holding talks in France on fighting terrorism and controlling migration.

Elite police forces are staging an anti-terrorism exercise Tuesday in the French city of Lyon as part of the meetings.

Salvini

5-Star rules out alliance:

Italy’s 5-Star Movement on Tuesday ruled out an alliance with far-right parties in the European Parliament after May’s EU elections, but remained undecided over its future partners.

The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement rules Italy together with the far-right League. In the European Parliament it sits in the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) eurosceptic bloc with Nigel Farage’s UK Independence Party (UKIP).

Its future grouping in the EU assembly remains unclear. The party has tried to join the pro-European liberal group but was rejected.

Nazi hunters receive honours:

France’s most famous Nazi hunters, Serge Klarsfeld and his German wife Beate, received top honours in a ceremony led by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.

Serge Klarsfeld, 83, received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest award, while the 79-year-old Beate Klarsfeld received the National Order of Merit, having already been decorated with the Legion of Honour in 2014, with the rank of Grand Officer.

The Chief Rabbi of France Haim Korsia was among those who attended the ceremony at the Elysee Palace limited to family and close friends and associates. (AP)

Jailed activist wins rights prize:

A human rights campaigner who has been jailed since January in the Russian province of Chechnya has been awarded a prestigious human rights prize by the Council of Europe.

The Council’s Parliamentary Assembly on Monday awarded the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize to Oyub Titiev, who heads the Chechnya branch of Russian human rights center Memorial.

The chairman of Memorial’s board accepted the award on Titiev’s behalf.

Amnesty International called Titiev “one of Russia’s most courageous human rights defenders” for his work leading Memorial’s office in Chechnya’s capital for more than nine years. His predecessor, Natalia Estemirova, was kidnapped and killed in 2009. (RTRS)

615 migrants saved in Morocco:

Morocco’s Royal Navy said Monday its forces rescued 615 migrants from 31 boats that ran into trouble in the Mediterranean at the weekend while trying to reach Spain.

The Spanish coastguard announced on Sunday that in 48 hours it had rescued nearly 1,200 migrants bound for its shores – a main entry point for clandestine migration into Europe.

Fire at Ukraine’s ammo depot:

Ukrainian officials say that a fire at an ammunition depot in Ukraine has forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people. There have been no injuries.

The Emergencies Ministry says the blaze at the warehouse in the eastern Chernihiv region erupted early Tuesday. The ministry said the depot contained about 88,000 metric tons of munitions, but military officials claimed that half of them had been previously moved to other locations.