Donagh Kelly’s record in this season’s Triton Showers National Rally Championship is near perfect.

Italy’s coast guard and navy joined forces with tugs and other commercial vessels to rescue migrants in at least 16 boats yesterday, saving hundreds and recovering 10 bodies as smugglers took advantage of calm seas to send packed vessels across the Mediterranean.

The European Union must take a collective stand to tackle migrant trafficking at its source in African countries, Italy’s prime minister Matteo Renzi said ahead of an emergency summit of the bloc’s leaders yesterday to discuss the crisis.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is under pressure to offer practical help at today’s emergency EU summit dealing with the tragedy of migrants dying in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe.

As many as 950 people were feared dead after a fishing boat packed with migrants capsized off the Libyan coast in what may be one of the worst disasters of the Mediterranean migrant crisis, officials said.

Up to 300 people are now unaccounted for after boats carrying migrants sank in the Mediterranean, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

The UK government’s refusal to support future search and rescue missions to save desperate immigrants trying to reach Europe has been condemned by campaigners.

IT’S been out of this world for 36 years... now it’s leaving the solar system. In doing so, Voyager 1, launched in August 1977, is the furthest man-made object from Earth, almost 18.75bn kilometres from its creators and heading for interstellar space, the space between stars.

Fears over Europe's debt plight resurfaced today as world markets cooled their initial enthusiasm over China's decision to let its currency rise.

Triton showers firm Norcros today said strong demand in the UK helped it to a 49% rise in interim pre-tax profits to £6.1m (€8.5m).