The Other Fathers of Confederation
While Lower and Upper Canadians were grappling with the 1840 Constitution that forced them together in an unpopular Union, Pope Pius IX, 6,500 kilometres away in Rome, was planning a Confederation of the Italian states with himself as president.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
At least 26 dead and around a dozen missing after migrant boat capsizes off coast of Italian island
At least 26 people have died and around a dozen are missing after a boat carrying nearly 100 migrants capsized off the coast of Lampedusa, the Italian coastguard and UN agencies said. Sixty survivors were taken to a centre on the Italian island, said Filippo Ungaro, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Italy. There were up to 97 migrants on board when the boat departed Libya, according to survivor accounts. Authorities were still searching for any remaining survivors. An Italian law enforcement aircraft spotted a capsized boat with bodies in the water about 14 miles (23km) off Lampedusa on Wednesday morning, triggering a rescue operation, the coastguard said in a statement. It also said five ships, two aircraft and one helicopter were operating at the rescue site. The coastguard said 26 deaths had been confirmed so far but that was "provisional and being updated". Cristina Palma, who works for the Italian Red Cross in Lampedusa, said in a video statement that the survivors - 56 men and four women - were in "decent" health but four of them had been hospitalised for checks. Based on survivor accounts, about 95 migrants left the Tripoli area of Libya on two boats, International Organisation for Migration spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo said. When one of the two vessels started to take on water, all the passengers were transferred to the other boat - made of fibreglass - which then capsized in international waters because of overloading, he said. It was not immediately known how long the migrants had been at sea. Italian PM's 'strong sense of dismay' Lampedusa mayor Filippo Mannino said the disaster happened "presumably at dawn". Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who made combating illegal immigration a top priority of her right-wing government, pledged on Wednesday to continue fighting "unscrupulous traffickers" by "preventing irregular departures" and "managing migration flows". She said in a statement: "When a tragedy like this occurs, with the deaths of dozens of people in the waters of the Mediterranean, a strong sense of dismay and compassion arises in all of us... That today's tragedy occurred despite a ready and operational international response warns us that the necessary rescue effort is not sufficient and, above all, does not address the root causes of this tragic problem." A total of 675 migrants have died making the perilous central Mediterranean crossing so far this year, not counting the latest sinking, according to the UNHCR. "Deep anguish over yet another shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa, where UNHCR is now assisting the survivors," Mr Ungaro wrote on the X social media site. Read more: Tens of thousands die making crossing A total of 30,060 refugees and migrants arrived in Italy by sea in the first six months of 2025 - a 16% increase compared with the same period last year, according to the UNHCR. The irregular migration route from northern Africa to southern Europe is considered one of the most dangerous in the world, with almost 24,500 people dying or disappearing on the Mediterranean crossing in the past 10 years, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Most of the deaths have been attributed to small boats setting off from the coasts of Tunisia and Libya. The deadliest migrant boat disaster off the coast of Lampedusa occurred on 3 October 2013, when a vessel carrying more than 500 migrants from Eritrea, Somalia and Ghana caught fire and capsized, killing at least 368 people. The tragedy prompted international calls for action to address the crisis. The sinking off the coast of Lampedusa comes a day after figures showed from France to the UK since Sir Keir Starmer became prime minister. Home Office statistics reveal that 474 people arrived on Monday in eight vessels - the highest number to make the journey in one day in August.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Jimmy Kimmel reveals Trump admin led him to get Italian citizenship
(NewsNation) — Jimmy Kimmel revealed that he obtained his Italian passport just in case he has to leave the country because of President Trump. The 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' host appeared on Sarah Silverman's podcast on Aug. 7, where he shared the news. 'A lot of people I know are thinking about where they can get citizenship,' Silverman said, with Kimmel replying, 'I did get Italian citizenship.' Kennedy Center honorees include George Strait, KISS 'It's so much worse. It's just unbelievable. Like I feel like it's probably even worse than he would like it to be,' Kimmel told Silverman. Kimmel said that he was able to obtain Italian citizenship because of his mother's side of the family, according to the Los Angeles Times. The talk show host and comedian has routinely criticized the president for years, as well as his policies, even during his first term. Trump is no fan of Kimmel, having called him 'stupid' and saying he would be next to lose his late-night show after CBS canceled 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.' Jimmy Kimmel joins a list of comedians leaving US Ellen DeGeneres revealed in July that she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, moved to the United Kingdom due to Trump being reelected. 'We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, 'He got in,'' she told a crowd at Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, England, according to The Guardian. 'And we're like, 'We're staying here.'' Shortly before Trump took office, Rosie O'Donnell, a vocal critic of the president, said she moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old daughter, The Hill reported. 'I moved here on Jan. 15, and it's been pretty wonderful. I have to say, the people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming, and I'm very grateful,' O'Donnell said in a TikTok video in March. 'I'm in the process of getting my Irish citizenship, as I have Irish grandparents.' In a July 12 Truth Social post, Trump threatened to revoke O'Donnell's U.S. citizenship, calling her a 'threat to humanity.'
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Jimmy Kimmel says he obtained citizenship in Italy amid Trump presidency
Jimmy Kimmel said he obtained Italian citizenship in a move seemingly motivated by the United States' current political climate under President Donald Trump. The late-night host revealed the news during an appearance on comedian Sarah Silverman's podcast, "The Sarah Silverman Podcast," on Aug. 7. "A lot of people I know are thinking about where they can get citizenship," Silverman said. Kimmel replied, "I did get Italian citizenship." The "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host has long been an adversary of the president's policies. Trump, for his part, has openly criticized Kimmel's career over the years. USA TODAY has reached out to Kimmel's reps for comment. Kimmel says 'what's going on' is 'unbelievable' Kimmel didn't specifically cite Trump's presidency for his new Italian citizenship, but he and Silverman did allude to the current state of American politics. "What's going on is as bad as you thought it was going to be," Kimmel said, to which Silverman replied, "Way worse." "It's so much worse. It's just unbelievable," Kimmel said. "Like I feel like it's probably even worse than he would like it to be." Silverman added, "Every once in a while I'll Google Trump regrets or MAGA regrets." The comedians went on to elaborate on the political climate, with Kimmel mentioning Joe Rogan and other Trump supporters who have questioned the administration's policies. Kimmel is latest comedian to consider overseas move If Kimmel opts to move abroad, he wouldn't be the first comedian to do so amid Trump's presidency. Rosie O'Donnell, who notably has a long-standing feud with the president, moved to Ireland in January as Trump entered office. She said in a TikTok video in March that she is relieved not to be "singled out by the President of the United States." "I feel healthier (and) I'm sleeping better without the stress and anxiety over what was happening politically in the country," O'Donnell said. Similarly, Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi also headed across the pond in 2024 and haven't been back to the United States since. "We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, '(Trump) got in,'" DeGeneres said during an event in South West England on July 20. "And we're like, 'We're staying here.'" Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
