Iolanda Apostolico, a Catania judge who has come under political fire for striking down a recent government migrant decree, says the court's decision is purely legal and not personal.

In Spain, nine migrants have been taken into custody on piracy charges. They allegedly forced the ship that rescued them to change its course to the Canary Islands instead of Morocco.

A boat carrying 280 migrants landed Tuesday in Spain's Canary Islands, having crossed one of the most dangerous migratory routes in the Atlantic, a rescue organization told AFP.

Over a million migrants have reached Italy since 2013, while more than 28,000 have died or gone missing during migration journeys to the country since 2014.