The U.N.’s weather agency has confirmed a reading of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sicily two years ago as the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe.

The Netherlands’ top administrative court has ruled that immigration authorities can't send migrants back to Italy because they face possible human rights violations there.

Italian police have scooped up two tons of cocaine that was wrapped in protective plastic and bobbing in the sea off eastern Sicily.

Italy’s right-wing government is pressing ahead with plans to crack down on migrants after hundreds arrived in the last few days.

The migration agency of the United Nations says the first three months of 2023 were the deadliest first quarter in six years for migrants crossing the central Mediterranean Sea in smugglers’ boats.

A European humanitarian group says its migrant rescue ship is heading toward the French island of Corsica in hopes that France will offer its 234 passengers a safe port.

The far-right-led Italian government’s weekslong standoff with aid groups running rescue ships partially eased on Tuesday, as officials allowed all remaining migrants on two boats to access port.

The German humanitarian group Mission Lifeline says that Italy has directed its migrant rescue ship with 89 people on board to proceed to the port of Reggio Calabria.

The captain of a charity-operated migrant rescue ship has refused Italian orders to leave a Sicilian port after authorities refused to let 35 migrants disembark.

Mount Etna has roared back to spectacular action after a few months of relative quiet.

Etna volcano near Catania, southern Italy. The spectacular explosions of Mount Etna are continuing Sunday, March 7, 2021, with the volcano in eastern Sicily, spewing out towering clouds of ash and lava stones. (AP Photo/Salvatore Allegra, File)ROME – A particularly spectacular blast from Italy's Mount Etna volcano belched out a towering cloud of ash and lava stone Sunday onto Sicilian villages, the latest in a series of explosions since mid-February. AdLocals swept ash and lava stones from their front steps and balconies. A few hours later, the volcanic tremors picked up again, INGV said in a statement.

Flames and smoke billowing from a crater, as seen from the southern side of the Mt Etna volcano, tower over the city of Pedara, Sicily, Wednesday night, Feb. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Salvatore Allegra)ROME – Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, evokes superlatives. And the fiery, noisy show of power it puts on for days or weeks, even years every so often, is always super spectacular. Etna red and whites are some of Sicily's most popular wines, from grapes grown on the volcanic slopes. At one point, the smoking lava stopped two kilometers (just over a mile) from the edge of town.

Lava flows from the Mt Etna volcano, near Catania in Sicily, southern Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 23 , 2021. (AP Photo/Salvatore Allegra)ROME – Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, has awed even seasoned volcanologists in recent days with spectacular spurts of lava lighting up the Sicilian sky each night. The latest eruption overnight petered out by around 0900 GMT Tuesday, according to Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology. For over a week, Etna has been belching lava, ash and volcanic rocks on a regular basis. Volcanologist Boris Behncke of the national institute’s Etna observation center has followed the latest paroxysms with awe.

Willen was preparing to open a dog boarding business when the pandemic hit. Willen sensed the virus outbreak wouldn't end quickly, which meant dog owners wouldn't be traveling and many would keep working at home, eliminating the need for his services. He decided to restart a business he'd shelved in favor of boarding, dog treats. Willen sensed the virus outbreak wouldn’t end quickly, which meant dog owners wouldn’t be traveling and many would keep working at home, eliminating the need for his services. “It was looking like COVID was not going away by November or December, and those are huge months for dog boarding,” says Willen.

Lava gushes from the Mt Etna volcano near Catania, Sicily, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. Europe's most active volcano came alive around 4 pm local time on Tuesday, according to the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. (AP Photo/Salvatore Allegra)PEDARA – Residents and municipal teams worked Wednesday to clean up a Sicilian village near Mount Etna after Europe’s most active volcano spewed lava, ashes and volcanic stones. But nearby residents said the eruption was unusual in that big chunks of volcanic stones carpeted the area, not just ash. “The entire territory of Pedara and all the streets are covered in volcanic ashes and lapillus,” or volcanic stones, he said.