Italy

Italian coastguards take control of another abandoned cargo ship full of migrants – a disturbing trend that is the result of a growing exodus of refugees created by the war in Syria.

The burnt-out hulk of the Norman Atlantic, which caught fire off the coast of Greece on Sunday, is towed into the southern Italian port of Brindisi.

A freighter intercepted while heading towards the Italian coast on autopilot with almost a thousand migrants on board was sold to a Syrian citizen two weeks ago, Channel 4 News has learned.

The fire extinguisher system aboard the Norman Atlantic ferry which caught fire off the Greek coast “couldn’t handle” the blaze because of heavy winds, Channel 4 News has learned.

The death toll on a blazing ferry off the Greek coast reaches 10 amid reports more people could still be missing.

Two major Italian unions hold a nationwide strike against Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s plans to overhaul labour laws.

Around 360 migrants died in the Lampedusa boat tragedy. A haunting film by photographer Francesco Zizola and Teresa Smith explores the wrecked vessel and the political questions those deaths pose.

Mario Balotelli apologises over a post on social media which provoked claims of racism and anti-semitism. He could be facing an investigation by the Football Association.

Immigrants bound for Europe on perilous routes “are taking the risk because they feel like they have no choice”, says Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party.

Heavy rain over the weekend has left at least four dead after mudslides in Switzerland and northern Italy. Recent severe storms have exposed the fragile infrastructure in many parts of Italy.

Torrential rain caused a landslide on Wednesday that killed a man in the town of Crevacuore, near the city of Biella in the northern Piedmont region. A number of homes were also destroyed.

As the spectre of war, pestilence and economic hardship hangs over us, a commercialised autumn festival of horror may not be what we need right now.

Tory MEP Daniel Hannan concedes that we have a responsibility to save Mediterranean refugees in trouble – but says it is a question of “exactly where you draw the line”.

This is the smiling face of an Italian nurse accused of killing a patient and suspected of killing another 37.