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Italy Reopens Ports to Migrants After Ousting Far-Right Leader

Italy has allowed an NGO boat with 82 migrants to dock after blocking those rescued at sea for the last 14 months under far-right leader Matteo Salvini who was ousted last month.

Italy has offered the Norwegian-flagged Ocean Viking migrant rescue vessel run by Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee a safe port to dock on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa to disembark 82 migrants rescued off the coast of Libya. The permission was granted by Italy’s new government after far-right leader Matteo Salvini was ousted last month in a failed power play to call snap elections. As Interior Minister, Salvini had closed Italian ports to all NGO ships. Only those who won court orders or forced their way into ports had disembarked during the last 14 months. The new center-left coalition with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement has said ports are not officially reopened, but that each request would be evaluated.