Migrants rescued after several days stranded on oil platform
"Women, men and children" were shipwrecked with no food or water, according to Mediterranea, a migrant rescue charity. One person on the platform had died, the charity said.
NGO Sea Watch said it had managed to rescue all 32 people from the gas platform on Tuesday afternoon, and that they were being looked after aboard the Aurora ship.
However, the Aurora's final destination was unclear as no country nearby had yet assigned the ship a port of safety, Sea Watch said.
It added that no European country had intervened "despite the imminent emergency" and the fact that the people were stranded in international waters on the border of the Tunisian and Maltese search and rescue (SAR) zones.
NGO monitoring aircraft Seabird reportedly spotted an empty rubber dinghy near the platform on 1 March.
The shipwrecked people then managed to contact Alarm Phone - an emergency hotline for migrants in trouble at sea. In the call, they said they had been without food for days and that their condition was critical. They also reported the death of one person, Sea Watch said.
In a video apparently filmed by one of the people on the platform and shared by NGOs on social media, a young man in a white t-shirt could be heard saying that he and the others were "suffering from hunger and dying of cold".
Speaking in Tigrinya - a language spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea - the man said they left Libya five days ago and that the dinghy they were travelling on capsized.
"Those who made it here and didn't die at sea are dying of hunger and exhaustion, if in the few hours nobody does anything we will obviously die... We have only little chance [to survive]," he said.
Behind him were several people apparently shivering from the cold as the waves crashed against the oil platform's pillars.
Over 210,000 people tried to cross the Central Mediterranean in 2023, according to data shared by the UN. More than 60,000 were intercepted and sent back to African shores, and nearly 2000 lost their lives at sea.
On a boat picking up migrants in the middle of the Med
Italian state of emergency to tackle migrant boats
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Geographic
4 hours ago
- National Geographic
Charles Lindbergh was a Nazi puppet—and his famous flight was overrated. Here's why.
Charles Lindbergh standing in front of his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, which he used on his transatlantic flight. Photograph by Bridgeman Images The aviator was so impressed by German propaganda that he grossly overestimated Hitler's airpower. I have to declare a personal stake that shapes my opinion as I write this story. It has its origins in 1940, 85 years ago this month. I was seven years old, living near London. I watched the choreography of a great battle underway, etched in vapor trails high above in the crisp blue sky of summer, the combat that became known as the Battle of Britain. I wasn't scared. I watched with the detached excitement of a child unaware of how perilous those days were for us. That understanding would come later, from my work as a journalist, spending years discovering how closely fought that famous victory was. Had that battle been lost it is doubtful that Britain, then alone as most of Western Europe fell to Hitler, could have survived, as it did, until Pearl Harbor made American intervention inevitable. As things have turned out, one of my most unsettling discoveries has been that a man long hailed as an American legend, Charles Lindbergh, worked avidly with the Germans to undermine the chances of a British victory. Much has long been known about Lindbergh's alliance with American fascists between 1939 and 1941, and particularly his speech in Des Moines, Iowa in September 1941, in which he blamed three groups—the Roosevelt administration, the British and the Jews—for pressing the nation to confront Hitler. Much less known is the role Lindbergh played in England during the 1930s as Hitler's useful idiot, spreading the idea that Nazi Germany had become an invincible air power. The first Nazi to spot and exploit Lindbergh as an effective agent of German disinformation was Hermann Goering, Hitler's deputy and head of his air force, the Luftwaffe. Goering recognized that Lindbergh's celebrity gave him oracular authority on aviation—whether justified or not. Portrait of Charles Lindbergh Photograph by The Stapleton Collection, Bridgeman Images A decade after Lindbergh's epic solo flight across the Atlantic, on October 16, 1937, the Nazis made their master move, allowing him into their secret test field at Rechlin, near the Baltic coast. Virtually all the Luftwaffe's future aircraft were revealed to him. Credulous and convinced that no other European power rivaled Germany in the air, Lindbergh thereafter became a powerful influence on the 'peace at any price' factions in Britain and France. Lindbergh had no background in military aviation, but when he spoke on the subject of anything with wings, a lot of important people listened. There were numerous reports of Lindbergh pressing his views on leading European politicians, some of whom found them unnerving and demoralizing. For example, the British military attaché in Paris, seeing how rattled the French were by Lindbergh's assessments, reported to London, '…the Fuhrer found a most convenient ambassador in Colonel Lindbergh.' Limited Time: Bonus Issue Offer Subscribe now and gift up to 4 bonus issues—starting at $34/year. Lindbergh's impact in Britain was equally effective. In a single meeting he could turn a stern patriot into an abject appeaser. In 1938 a highly influential Tory, Thomas Jones, noted in his diary that before listening to Lindbergh he had been for standing up against Hitler but: 'Since my talk with Lindbergh I've sided with those working for peace at any cost in humiliation, because of the picture of our relative unpreparedness in the air…' (How the Battle of Britain changed the war—and the world—forever) Lindbergh also had a willing ear in the American ambassador in London, Joseph Kennedy. In 1938 he told Kennedy that Germany was then able to produce 20,000 military airplanes a year and gave a dark prediction of likely British defeat in the air. (In October 1938 Goering, on behalf of Hitler, awarded Lindbergh the Service Cross of the German Eagle.) In fact, Lindbergh's numbers were absurdly inflated. They were, literally, being used by the Nazis as a force multiplier. Moreover, Lindbergh's propaganda had masked a systemic weakness in the organization of German aircraft production. It was far from being a model of Teutonic efficiency. Production was dispersed among many manufacturers competing for resources and slowed by supply chain bottlenecks. In contrast, British aircraft production was far more rigorously directed and resourced from a central command. Charles Lindbergh receiving the Service Cross of the German Eagle from Hermann Goering on behalf of Adolf Hitler Photograph by SZ Photo/Scherl, Bridgeman Images More crucially, Lindbergh had no inkling of a game-changing technical leap in the deployment of air power that the British pioneered, the world's most advanced radar-based early warning system. Incoming waves of bombers could be pinpointed and tracked before they reached the British coast. Their size, direction and altitude were precisely plotted on a map in a central operations room, enabling the Royal Air Force (R.A.F) to deploy its precious hundreds of advanced fighters and pilots sparingly in the most efficient and deadly way. Britain's 'finest hour' At the outbreak of war, in September 1939, Germany did have a clear lead in numbers: 2,893 available front-line airplanes versus 1,600 in Britain. But by July, 1940, when the Battle of Britain began, the difference had narrowed. Britain had 644 front-line fighters to 725 German (with their time over England critically limited by fuel). By the end of September, when the RAF's famous victory was achieved, they had 732 fighters available while the Luftwaffe was reduced to 438. Weeks before the battle in the air began, Britain's expeditionary army in France had been nearly wiped out, saved only by the evacuation at Dunkirk. Few foresaw that its air force, the most scientifically advanced of its forces, was actually capable of saving the day. But—a point mostly overlooked by historians—Prime Minister Winston Churchill, fighting off a last-ditch resistance by appeasers, made his confidence in the R.A.F's strengths the bulwark of his case for carrying on the war. (Searching for the remains of two early transatlantic pilots) This is testament to Churchill's remarkable openness, at the age of 65, to technical transformation: As a young man he had served in the army, and had then twice served as First Lord of the Admiralty, in 1911 and 1939, running the Royal Navy. But, as much as he loved Britain's imperial-scale navy, he understood in 1940, ahead of many others, that the island nation's last line of defense was now in the air. On June 18, 1940, in one of his greatest speeches, Churchill warned, 'The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us…if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age.' Yet, if Britain prevailed, the world would say, 'This was their finest hour.' The battle engaged remarkably low numbers of men in combat, only a few hundred on each side, almost like medieval knights, each alone in a cockpit. When it was over, Churchill made the indelible tribute to his airmen: 'Never in the history of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few.' Victory in the air ended any chance of Hitler carrying out Operation Sea Lion, his planned invasion of Britain. And it finally laid bare the pernicious extent of the disinformation spread by Lindbergh—swallowed whole by many, including Ambassador Kennedy. Even then, Kennedy, a hardened isolationist, had learned nothing. Unmoved by the victory, he said, 'The British have had it. They can't stop the Germans and the best thing for them is to learn to live with them.' (Charles Lindbergh's wife was a record-breaking aviator in her own right) It's important to note that Lindbergh's crossing of the Atlantic in 1927 was an act of superb airmanship—particularly of navigation—but it did nothing to advance the science of aviation. His airplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, was a one-off bespoke model built for only one purpose: for one man to safely cross the Atlantic. It was not in any way a precursor. The science necessary to carry passengers safely across any ocean was an American achievement, developed mainly in a wind tunnel at Caltech in California, where two companies, Boeing and Douglas, created the first twin-engine all-metal airliners. In fact, the need for a larger, twin-engine airplane to cross oceans was foretold by two British military aviators, Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown, who were the first to actually fly across the Atlantic, 1,890 miles, from Newfoundland to Ireland, in 1919, in a converted World War I bomber. They landed, unheralded, in a field and came to rest, nose down, in a bog, not like Lindbergh on a floodlit runway with the whole world listening on radio. As a result, to this day few people realize who was first. It will fall to President Donald Trump to decide how the nation will mark the centennial of Lindbergh's 1927 flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris. This will confront America with a challenging moral judgment: Can a legendary human endeavor ever be celebrated if the 'hero' turns out to have been so deeply flawed?
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Foster mom brought home senior dog who became her life's 'biggest gift'
When Vanshika Gupta brought home a senior dog to foster, little did she know she was bringing the "biggest gift" of her life yet. Gupta, a final-year veterinary student in Melbourne, Australia, always loved animals and wanted to make a difference. When she signed up to be a foster through the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Australia, a community-based charity providing animal care and protection services, she knew she wanted to bring home a special dog. As Gupta found herself "reading through the stories of all the dogs on there," she came across Lacey, a 13-year-old Maltese-Poodle mix. "It broke my heart seeing Lacey in there," Gupta told USA TODAY. "She was 13 years old. I knew she was towards the end of her life, but it broke my heart thinking her life was only started, and I didn't want her to spend her last months to years in a shelter." Lacey's previous owners had brought her in to euthanize her, Gupta said, adding that she isn't aware of the dog's full story except that she came from "a history of neglect," which took a toll on her health and left her with several scars and one less tooth. "I immediately connected to her photo on the foster portal and knew I had to bring her home and show her the most amount of love in her last days," Gupta said. Bringing Lacey home Gupta vividly remembers the moment she got the phone call to say that her foster application had been accepted. "I was in my car and saw the RSPCA number call through, and my heart started racing," Gupta said. "I remember when they told me about her, I actually started crying. It felt like I had won the lottery. I know it sounds so silly, I hadn't even met this dog, but I truly was just so connected in those first few moments." When the moment finally came and Gupta picked up Lacey, she said the drive home was "magical." "The entire car ride, and I am not even exaggerating, she sat in the passenger seat and just looked at me," Gupta said. Lacey, who wanted to cuddle in her lap almost immediately, had so much gratitude in her eyes and just kept staring at her new foster mom, Gupta said. "The whole ride home, she just had such hope and gratitude in her eyes," she said. "Her first night, she slept like a baby." 'My soul dog' Lacey was with Gupta for nine months before she died. "I knew it wasn't that long, but she was my soul dog," Gupta said. "Lacey healed so much in me. Those 9 months felt like an eternity, and I would give anything to have more time with her." Gupta said in the months Lacey was with her, the dog "really came out of her shell" and started becoming "the boss of the house." The final-year student recalls Lacey sleeping on her bed in her old granny knitted jumper, with her head on a pillow, when she came into the room "accidentally being too loud and waking her up from her slumber." "She gave me the absolute dirtiest look, and it made me laugh so much," Gupta said. Now, while Gupta has a whole lot of memories with Lacey to savor, her coming out of her shell is her favorite. "Purely because she was so comfortable by this stage and had so much character," Gupta said. 'No one should die alone' Gupta is now advocating for people to foster dogs. "Especially if people aren't really in a place to take on the responsibility of adopting a dog for whatever reason," Gupta said, adding many rescues cover vet bills and food costs during the fostering period. "You can make such a big difference to these babies and provide them respite from the shelter while they get cleared for adoption," Gupta said. "Who knows, maybe you'll end up with foster fail like I did, which could turn out to be the biggest gift of your life," she added. "Especially for our older babies who end up in a shelter, no one should die alone." Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Sammy will cast his magical spell over you and next thing you know you'll be playing fetch
Now you see him – now you don't! Sammy has magical powers when it comes to an open backyard — he can disappear quickly. Because Second Chance wants to make sure Sammy has a safe environment to play and potty in, they are requiring his new family to have a secure fenced yard. Another magical power Sammy has is the ability to hypnotize with his big dark eyes and have you believing that you have all day to play fetch with him or purchase him a new toy. Sammy is a recently retired breeder and is very friendly and energetic. This little Maltese dog weighs 8.5 pounds and is still working on potty training and getting used to his leash and tie-out. He gets along well with other dogs and will tolerate cats. He likes children, but because of his size, Second Chance recommends children in the house be at least eight years old. He is up to date on shots, neutered, microchipped, heartworm negative and on heartworm prevention. Sammy will also use his magical powers to flirt a little with a new acquaintance and then sneak in with a nose kiss. He would love to meet another small dog that could help him improve his doggy social skills and be a playmate when his humans are busy. He is playful and loves toys. Sammy is crate trained and when he needs some respite, he will choose to lie in his open crate. If you'd like to be a part of Sammy's magical existence, contact Second Chance or reach out to his foster mom, Michelle, for more information at or 616-949-7813. Sammy is currently being fostered in Grand Rapids, Michigan and his adoption fee is $500. Pets are available for adoption through: • Second Chance Small Dog Rescue, Elkhart. Email: 2ndchancesmalldogrescue@ Websites: • Homeward Bound Animal Welfare Group, Website: Email: homewardboundawg@ • Elkhart Humane Society, 54687 County Road 19, Bristol. Phone: 574-475-4732. Website: • PetsConnect Inc., P.O. Box 8104, South Bend, IN 46660-8140. Phone 574-282-1225. Website: • Heartland Small Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 6033, South Bend, IN 46660. Phone: 574-400-5633. Website: • South Bend Animal Resource Center, 521 Eclipse Place, South Bend. Phone: 574-235-9303. Website: • Pet Refuge Inc., 4626 Burnett Drive, South Bend. Phone: 574-231-1122. Website: • Humane Society of St. Joseph County, 2506 Grape Road, Mishawaka. Phone: 574-255-4726. Website: This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Pet of the Week: Sammy is available for adoption through Second Chance Solve the daily Crossword
