Dozens of Migrants Drown Off Italy’s Coast

Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at a shipwreck off the coast of Italy, Nigeria’s early presidential election results, and Scotland’s debate over who will be the next first minister.

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Almost 60 people were killed after a wooden boat carrying migrants crashed into reefs off the coast of Italy, authorities said. Dozens more are missing. The boat is believed to have had up to 200 passengers, and more than 100 people could have been killed, officials fear.

At least 80 people were found alive. A local priest said he blessed the bodies that were lying on the beach. Pope Francis mourned the children among the victims.

A Red Cross volunteer has said all survivors were adults. Doctors Without Borders is offering assistance to survivors.

The boat reportedly set off from Turkey, carrying passengers from Afghanistan and Iran.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shared “her deep sorrow for the many human lives torn away by human traffickers.”

Meloni, who came to power vowing to take a hard line on illegal migration, has promised to crack down on human smugglers and go to the European Union for help with migrants. Meloni’s government believes charity rescue ships encourage more people to make the dangerous journey, and she has imposed restrictions on nongovernmental organizations. More than 14,100 migrants have nevertheless managed to get to Italy since Jan. 1.

NGOs have stressed that vilifying migrants will not stop people from attempting to come to Europe.

“The discretional targeting of NGOs is not going to solve the much more complex and wide issue of migration flows,” said Juan Matias Gil of Doctors Without Borders’ Mediterranean operations. “But preventing us from being in the sea is going to continue contributing to more deaths.”

Opposition politicians have also pointed out the limits of her plan.

“The truth is that the EU today doesn’t offer effective alternatives for those who are forced to abandon their country of origin,” Laura Ferrara, a European Parliament lawmaker from Italy’s populist Five Star Movement, said in a statement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that the deaths were a tragedy.

Monday, Feb. 27: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell chairs the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue with Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Tuesday, Feb. 28: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Wednesday, March 1: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield attends the House Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hearing.

Thursday, March 2: Meloni speaks at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

Friday, March 3: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets U.S. President Joe Biden for a White House summit.

Nigerians await presidential election results. Nigerians continue to wait for the counting of votes in Saturday’s presidential election. Saturday’s vote spilled over into Sunday, and technical issues were an impediment. A final tally to reveal who will replace outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari is now expected at some point this week.

Delays are expected to further exacerbate tensions. The three candidates expected to have a real shot at succeeding Buhari are Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Early results show Tinubu leading overall, followed by Abubakar. However, in Lagos state, the current count shows Obi leading Tinubu by a slim margin; votes have not yet been reported in many of Obi’s potential southeastern strongholds.

Scottish would-be first ministers argue over equal marriage. Scottish National Party leadership candidate Humza Yousaf has said someone who would vote against same-sex marriage should not be first minister of Scotland. Kate Forbes, his main rival to replace former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, said last week that she would not have supported same-sex marriage legislation had she been a member of Scotland’s legislature at the time. Asked by the BBC whether such a position was acceptable, Yousaf said, “Not if they would roll back on those rights, I don’t think that’s acceptable.”

China refuses to condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine. G-20 finance ministers were at an impasse in India after China declined to sign a statement condemning Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in the “strongest terms.” Russia, for its part, blamed Western countries for destabilizing the G-20. According to a footnote, all members but Russia and China agreed.

India, which hosted, issued a “chair’s summary” that concluded that there were “different assessments” of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Senior Indian official Ajay Seth said Russia and China insisted the summit only be about financial matters, whereas other countries felt the war was relevant as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine impacted the global economy.

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Mexico’s president posts mystical photo. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador posted what he said was a photo of an “aluxe,” a Mayan woodland folk spirit. In traditional Mayan folklore, aluxes are “small, mischievous creatures that inhabit forests and fields and are prone to playing tricks on people, like hiding things,” according to The Associated Press.

López Obrador added that “everything is mystical.”