Italy Rescues 1,800 Refugees, Five Bodies Recovered
Italy's navy said it rescued nearly 1,800 migrants in overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean over the weekend, and a merchant ship recovered five bodies from a sinking rubber raft off the coast of Libya. Calmer summer seas have led to a surge in people trying to reach Italy from North Africa. Italy has picked up more than 70,000 migrants so far this year in its search-and-rescue mission, called "Mare Nostrum" or "Our Sea". The number of dead is also rising. At the start of July, the UNHCR estimated 500 migrants had died in the Mediterranean in the past six months, compared to 700 during the whole of last year. A merchant ship rescued 61 migrants and collected five bodies from a sinking rubber raft late on Sunday after its position was signalled by the navy, said the force.
Four Dead After U.S. Navy Ship Hit With Explosives
An explosives-laden rubber raft rammed a U.S. guided missile destroyer and exploded in the Yemeni port of Aden on Thursday, killing four U.S. sailors and injuring 36, five seriously, Reuters reported. The White House said President Bill Clinton was horrified by what appeared to be a "terrorist" attack on the destroyer USS Cole. One sailor was still missing some five hours after the explosion caused a big hole on the left side of the listing vessel, the officials said. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh offered condolences to Clinton and the "friendly American people" and flew to Aden to visit some of the injured, who also included two Yemeni port workers, the official Saba news agency reported. Lieutenant-Commander Daren Pelkie, spokesman for the Bahrain-based U.S.
