More immigrants arrive on Italian island

Two boats carrying more than 500 immigrants landed Wednesday on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, the coast guard said. The immigrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, included more than 50 women and 17 children, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The first boat, carrying some 225 immigrants, was met by officials from the port authority. The second boat, with 328 people on board, was intercepted by the Italian Coast Guard about two miles off the coast of Lampedusa. Both boats are believed to have departed from Libya. Some 30,000 immigrants, mostly from Tunisia, Libya and sub-Saharan Africa, have landed the small island of Lampedusa since January. Their arrival has become a politically divisive issue in Italy.