Italy threatens to close ports to some migrant rescue ships

Italy has threatened to close its ports to aid groups rescuing migrants off Libya's coast as it struggles to cope with the highest rate of rescues this year, officials said.

Italy's ambassador to the EU, Maurizio Massari, raised the issue during a meeting with EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, as several different ships offloaded some of the more than 10,000 migrants rescued in recent days.